From Tilapia to Treatment: Could Natural Fish Skin Transform Burn Care in the NHS?
A new study highlights how an affordable innovation from Brazil could revolutionise burn treatment in the UK.
A pioneering systematic review led by NIHR ARC Northwest London and Imperial College London researchers has explored the potential of natural fish skin (NFS) as a cost-effective alternative for burn treatment in the UK. Proven successful in Brazil and other low- and middle-income countries, NFS offers comparable clinical outcomes to high-cost bioengineered skin matrices, significantly reducing pain, healing time, and costs.
The NHS spends an average of £17,000 per patient over two years on burn care, with severe cases costing up to £40,000. In contrast, NFS treatment costs just $11 (£8.70) per patient, a potential game-changer in reducing financial strain on the healthcare system. The study suggests that if just 10% of eligible UK burn patients received NFS instead of costlier alternatives, the NHS could save up to £80 million annually.
Beyond cost, the clinical benefits are compelling. Patients treated with NFS experienced comparable healing times to standard treatments, with full re-epithelialisation achieved in an average of 10.07 days, slightly faster than silver sulfadiazine cream (10.47 days). The study also reported significant reductions in pain, with patients needing fewer dressing changes and less anaesthesia, improving both recovery and patient comfort.
However, regulatory challenges remain. Unlike existing burn treatments, NFS is a sterilised, cellular material, raising questions about whether it should be classified as a xenotransplant under UK law. While bioengineered fish skin products have been processed to remove biological material—avoiding this classification—NFS retains some natural properties, meaning its status under UK regulations remains uncertain. Researchers are calling for further UK-based trials to determine its feasibility, safety, and acceptability among patients and healthcare professionals.
Natural Fish Skin (NFS) could offer a safe, effective, and dramatically more affordable alternative for burn treatment in the UK. With comparable clinical outcomes, faster healing, reduced pain, and major cost-saving potential, NFS presents an opportunity to rethink traditional approaches to burn care. However, further research is needed to address regulatory barriers and explore its practical application within the NHS. As interest in low-cost, high-impact innovations grows, NFS could provide a sustainable and scalable solution to improving patient outcomes while easing the financial burden on the NHS.
